Improvement in hand-stamps



2 Sheets-Sheet l. P. B. WOOD. Hand-Stamp. No. 215,195. Patented May 6,1879.

{LF-Uns, PHoTcYLn-HOGIWHER. WASHWGTON D C- i im 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

1 P. B. WOOD.

Hand-Stamp. No. 215,195. Patented May 6,1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEETGED FRANK VOOD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT lN HAND-STAMPS.

Specilication forming part oi' Letters Patent No. 215,195, dated May (i, 1STE); application filed February 25, 1878.

To all idiom t may conce/ra:

Be it known that l, FRANK B. YVOOD, or' ew Y( in the county of New York and State ci" New York, have invented certain new and useful lmprovemen ts in Combined Date, 'ime,a11d Numbering Stamps, which improvements are Vfully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanyii i drawings.

rllhe object of my invention is to furnish a machine Yfor hand printing or stamping, which shall, when operated, record, by a single movement oitheimpression device,the date,the hour, and minute oithe day, 'to gether with the proper consecutive number of the impression, so as to particularly adapt machines of this character ior such purposes as stamping messages when received or sent at telegraph-oliices, or stamping tickets when sold at railway ticket-oitices, and other analogous uses.

illy invention consists in the employment of a series oi' type-wheels for indicating or printingtime, operated by a motor, which is brought inte action at stated intervals by a time-piece, and with a series of 1mmbering-wheels controlled by the printing` device.

ln the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation oi" my improved printing or stamping machine. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal section of the same. Fig. a shows an elevation and also a section of the type-wheel denoting units of minutes. Fig. 5 shows an elevation and section of the wheel denoting' tens oi' minutes. Fig. 6 shows an elevation and section ot' the wheel denoting the day of the 1 nth. 7 is an elevation of the wheel denoting the day of the week, and Fig. 8 is an el vation or the meridian-wheel.

carrying out my invention I .make use of three distinct series or groups of type-wheels, all of which are movable about a common axis M. The lirst series consists oi' two wheels only, A and The wheel A is provided with twelve abbreviations denoting the twelve months of the year, arranged at equal distances apart around is periphery. The wheel B carries the numerals from l to 3l, inclusive, and denotes the da i' the month.

The wheel B may be turned by means of the milled head u, so as to bring the numerals denoting the days of the month successively under the printing-pad. At the end ot each complete revolution 0i' the wheel B the wheel A is moved one step by suitable mechanism in a manner well understood, and which by itseltorms no partot' my invention.

The second series of type-wheels is designed to print the consecutive number of each impression. I have shown three wheels, O, l), and E, in the drawings, which are adapted to print consecutive numbers from l to 999, inclusive.

A greater or less number of wheels may be employed, according to the requirements ot' the service for which the apparatus is used. This series ot' wheels receives its motion from the printing mechanism, each impression moving the unit-wheel E one step in advance. rlhis movement is effected by the following means: Then an impression is taken by depressing the printing-pad F by means ot' the knob f the ratchet-wheel f5 is caused to turn upon its axis a certain distance by the action ot the arm f1, connecting-rod f2, and cranlarm f3, attached to its axis f4. This movement winds up the coiled spring f, which, by its elasticity, causes all the parts to return to their normal position as soon as the knob fis released. On its return movement the ratchet-wheelf, by means of a click, carries with it the toothed wheel c2, the motionof which is communicated to the unit type-wheel E by means ot' an intermediate toothed wheel, el, and a corresponding wheel, c, attached to the type-wheel.

The mechanism is so proportioned that at each depression ot the printingpad F its recoil will advance the unit type-wheel E onetenth ot a complete revolution, thus presenting the next numeral in successive order to the printingpad in readiness for thetollowing impression. The tens and hundreds typewheels D and O may receive their motion from the unit-wheel E at proper' intervals by any mechanism adapted to the purpose. Such mechanism, being well known, does not require detailed description in this place.

The third series of ty pe-whecls is designed to record the hour and minute of the day when each impression is made, also, if required, the day of the week, and receives its motion from any suitable source of power, (preterably a wound-up spring acting through the medium of clock-work,) which is set in action at suitable intervals by the action of a clock or other time-piece. In Figs. 1 and 3, G represents such a system of clock-work, which is arranged to communicate motion to the typewheel L by means of a toothed wheel, g. This system of clock-work is-held in check by adetent controlled by the minute-wheel of an ordinarytime-piece, and is so arranged as to be released at the expiration of each successive minute. This may be done either by a inechanical connection with the time-piece orby an electro-magnetic device of any suitable character.

When the detent of the clock-work G is released the latter causes the type-wheel L to advance one-tenth of a complete revolution. As the wheel L carries the numerals from 1 to 9, and a cipher or 0 upon its periphery, it is obvious that a new number will be presented to the printing-pad F at the expiration of each minute of time.

The next type-wheel in the series K indicates the tens of minutes. As there'are sixty minutes in each hour, it is evident that the highest number that is required to be indicated by the wheels K and L is 59. For this reason the numbers required on the wheel K are from 0 to 5, inclusive, only.

For convenience of construction and operation, I prefer to divide the circumference of this wheel into twelve parts, as best seen in Fig. 5, and repeat each number twice-thus, 0 0, 1 1, 2 2, 3 3, &c. At each half-revolution of the units-wheel L the tens-wheel K is advanced one step, as will be hereinafter explained; but the number itself is actually changed upon this tens-Wheel only once during each revolution ofthe units-wheel. y

The manner in which this intermittent movement ofthe type-wheel K is effected is as follows: The wheel K (see Fig. 5) is provided with two concentric circles of slots, 7c and 7c', at different distances from its center, each slot in each circle being situated in a radial line between each type on the periphery of the wheel and the center.

The units-wheel L (see Fig. 4) carries two pins, l and Z, which are mounted on lat springs m and m. and are so situated as to pass directly opposite the circles of y slots 7c and k' as the wheel L revolves. ,These pins are situatedat distances of one hundred and eighty degrees, or half the circumference ofthe wheel L, from each other.

When the wheel L in the course of its revolution reaches the point where the tens figure requires to be changed the pin l is pressed into the slot which is opposite in the wheel K by means of a wedge-shaped projection, M', upon the frame of the machine, (see Fig. 3,)

and the wheel K is thus carried along with the wheel L for onetwelfth of a revolution,

after which the pin Z passes beyond the projectionM', and the spring m. withdraws it from the slot and releases the wheel K. When the Wheel L has advanced half a revolution .a similar operation takes place by means of the other pin, l', as seen in Fig. 5. In this case the ligure itself is not changed, but another type presenting a duplicategure is presented, as before stated.

The type-wheel J carries the hours of the day, from 1 to 12, inclusive, and therefore requires to be advanced one step at each com` plete revolution of the tens-of-minutes wheel K. This is effected by .means of a single pin in the wheel K, which at the proper part in its revolution enters into a corresponding notch, which is one of a circle of twelve notches, upon the wheel J, carries the latter with it for one-twelfth of a revolution, and then releases it.

The type wheel I, the next in the series, which Itermthemeridian-wheel, carries twelve types upon its periphery, which represent the abreviations A. M. and P. M., alternately. This is advanced one step or one-twelfth of arevolution at each complete revolution of the hour-wheel J by a pin movement similar to that by which the wheel J itself is moved.

If required, a fifth type wheel, H, may be added to this series, for the purpose of printY ing the day of the Week. This wheel has preferably fourteen divisions, lthe name of each day of the week or its abbreviation being repeated twice, one series being in each half of the wheel, so that the latter will make a complete revolution once in two weeks. The mech anism by which this wheel is operated is the same in principle as that which has already been described in connection with the wheel K. Y

The wheel I, which makes one complete revolution during each twelve revelations of the hour-wheel J ,y carries six pins, t t t t t t, mounted upon dat springs attached to the wheel, and these pins revolve `in line with a circle of fourteen apertures, It h h h, in the wheel H.. (See Figs. 7 and 8.) At the proper point in: the revolution of the WheelI one of these pins= is pressed into that one of the apertures in the wheel H which happens to be opposite by thef movement which is transmitted through thel series of pins in the wheels L, K, and J, being.' operated by the wedge-shaped projection M', Fig.3. By this means the wheel H is advanced. the distance of one-fourteenth of a complete revolution. This wheel may be dispensed withi in most cases, as it is not ordinarily necessary to record the day of the week in addition to the day of the month.

The several wheels, when brought into theirl proper position upon the axis or shaft M, inl the manner hereinbefore described, are re tained there by means of pins fw fw, which aref fitted loosely into suitable apertures formed ini the shaft M, and are pressed against the in# ner surface of the wheels by means of spirali springs placed beneath them.

When any wheel is in the proper positioni for printing, the corresponding pin w enters'- into a recess formed in the inner surface of thev wheel, and thus serves to steady it, while atl the same time the application of the proper moving force to the Wheel is sufficient to overeome the action ot' the spiral springs when the position of the Wheel is to be ehan ged.

When the machine is to be adjusted for use the Glock-Work G is Wound up, and the timewheels adjusted to correspond with the time indicated by the controlling time-piece, the numberin g-wheels are set to Zero, and the datewheels adjusted to the proper date. Then it is desired to stamp a message, ticket, or other paper, the paper is inserted horizontally beneath the printin gpad F, and a quick blow is given by the hand upon the knob f, ivhieh drives the pad forcibly against the line of types upon the several Wheels, an impression being made by all the types in the line upon the under surface of the paper by the interposition of the hiking-ribbon 0 between the face of the type and the paper. rlhis operation causes the date, consecutive number, and time of stamping to be impressed upon the paper- Vfor example, thus: JAN. 25, U01, MON., A.M. 8.05, signifying that the consecutive number ot' the impression is l, and that it was made on Monday January 25, at S oelocl; and 5 minutes A. M. The time-Wheels Will be chan ged at the expiration of eaeh minute by the action of the controlling-clock, while the consecutive number will be advanced one unit upon the return of the mechanism by the aetion ot' the spring f6 after eaeh single impression has been made. In this Way the date, time, and number will be correctly printed Whenever the apparatus is operated.

l elaim as my invention- A series of wheels for indicating or printing letters, figures, or eharaeters denoting time, and controlled by a eloel; or time-piece, in combination with a series of wheels for indicating or printing consecutive numbers, the progressive movement of Whieh is produced by the action of the printing or impression mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose speeitied.

In Witness whereof l have hereunto set my 'Vitnesses z HENRY J. BROWER, FRANK L. Porn. 

